Meth Addiction can be Deadly
Many drugs are horribly addictive and have extremely adverse effects on their users. However, meth addiction has been shown to be one of the most string addictions and has the most extreme effects. Different from other drug abusers, meth addict’s symptoms are often easily recognizable from outward appearances. Those struggling with meth addictions often have scarred and prematurely aging faces paired with extreme tooth decay that indicates the abuse. If someone you love is struggling with a meth addiction, you may wonder what it is about meth that takes such an unrelenting hold of users
Interventions Services compares meth addiction with cocaine addiction. They report that meth is even more addictive than cocaine and state that, “as an upper, meth spurs the body’s fight-or-flight responses, so, when injected or smoked, it immediately causes spikes in blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. When it is snorted through the nose or taken orally, however, the effect is a more drawn out high that lasts for hours.
Like cocaine, meth is a stimulant that increases the amount of dopamine – a neurotransmitter that activates neurological “pleasure centers” – in the brain. Meth uniquely does this by causing the brain to create more of the neurotransmitter, while cocaine prevents the dopamine from being flushed out of the user’s system. This difference is an important one, as it means that higher levels of dopamine are in the brain for a longer period of time.
Meth’s ability to tamper with the body’s natural production of pleasure-based dopamine may also be responsible for the drug’s long-term effects. Compared to cocaine, for instance, meth has a more detrimental effect because it reduces the number of dopamine transporters in the brain. The end result is that meth users may have poor motor skills and more difficulty with speech and memory.”
Some other effects of the addictive power of meth include: extreme weight loss, include disturbed sleep patterns, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased aggressiveness, irritability, insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. Further, in some meth addiction cases, meth use can cause convulsions that can lead to death. Drugfreeworld.org reports that , “When taken, meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy, and so a person will tend to push his body faster and further than it is meant to go. Thus, drug users can experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental breakdown after the effects of the drugs wear off.” This crash is what drives the addiction, and sometimes the fatal use of meth.
Overall, the effects of meth addiction can be deadly and the abuse of meth should not be taken lightly. Meth is extremely addictive and both the short and long term side effects can be very harmful.